Create Social and Economic Development by forming delegations of your local and state leaders, businessmen, and professors. Contact Jacob (jacob@embraceisrael.com) to discuss possibilities of joint ventures with Israeli businesses & universities involved with the latest bio med and hi tech advances.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said: “This ranking proves that our Government’s unprecedented investment in Israeli academia has led to results. We are investing NIS 7 billion in universities, in a multi-year plan, in centers of excellence, in bringing Israeli minds back home, and our efforts are bearing fruit. I am especially happy over the high ranking of Israeli institutions in computer science – with four Israeli universities among the 30 leading institutions in the world. This is another sign that Israel is continuing to establish itself as a global high-tech power. My Government will continue to invest in education – from pre-school to higher education.”

Source: Prime Minister’s Office

The Academic Ranking of World Universities shows that The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (rank 53) comes head of several leading American Universities. These institutions include Purdue University (rank 56), Rutgers (rank 61), Brown University (rank 65), and The Ohio State University (rank 65).

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

“If Bibi [Netanyahu] wants it to, it will pass”, states Israel Prize Laureate, former MK Geula Cohen, in reference to the Application of Sovereignty over Judea and Samaria Bill.

Geula Cohen makes these statements in preparation for the Second Conference for the Application of Sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, scheduled to take place this coming Thursday in Hebron. In preparation for the event Cohen was asked to share the political moves that preceded the successful passing of the Sovereignty over Jerusalem Bill, a bill she initiated and led in her days as a Member of Knesset.

Geula Cohen shares the feelings during the days that preceded passing the bill, the concerns regarding the isolation of Israel in the international arena in the eventuality that the bill. “The battles began that instant, embassies transferred to Tel Aviv… Sarid spoke of the sun that wouldn’t rise again… But the sun rose, and the embassies began to return to Jerusalem”.

It was difficult to think that we could pass the Jerusalem Bill back then. Begin and Sadat had an agreement that such a bill would only be passed consensually, but G-d ‘stepped in’ and one day I read in the papers that the Egyptian Parliament was discussing Jerusalem being Palestinian. That contradicted the agreement with Sadat. I went to Begin and told him that in that case, we can do the same. Begin said we had written and signed the matter would only be raised with Egyptian consent. So I continued to work on the bill”.

I wasn’t thinking practically and immediately submitted the Jerusalem Bill. I recall how the press made a mockery of me and the bill. They were saying that Geula Cohen is once again trying to impose and rape the Knesset”.

Cohen continues and tells us of her appeal to the late Yosef Burg, then Minister of Interior, and his response that the time for the bill will come, a response she refused to accept. Begin on the other hand expressed optimism. “His optimism was enough to drive me to rush and submit the bill”.

Those days Sadat’s envoy was visiting in Jerusalem and when he visited at the Temple Mound, Geula Cohen accompanied him and photographed him as he knelt and bowed with his backside towards the Temple Mount, as did the rest of the Muslim worshipers that were attending the event. Cohen distributed the photo all over the world with the caption ‘Even the Temple Mound turns it’s back on the Muslims’…

Cohen continues and tells of her Sisyphean struggle against the Israeli and international media, while continuing with the political battle to promote the proposed bill, right up to the day when she informed the Chairman of the Knesset of her intent to bring the proposed bill to vote. The Chairman asked if she made sure she has enough votes to support the bill. In response she said that she doesn’t believe there would be any MKs that would vote against Jerusalem.

Left Wingers Yossi Sarid and Shulamit Aloni were absent from the vote, Menahem Begin, Prime Minister in those days, arrived to the assembly hall with a broken leg to vote, the entire Likud party voted in favor along with several members of the Ma’a’rakh party. The members of the Mafdal party, on the other hand, did not vote in favor, a move they regretted and therefore promised Cohen that they would vote in favor in the second and third callings of the bill.

“There was much joy in Jerusalem. It’s difficult to describe. I was walking down the street and everyone was happy”, Geula Cohen shares her elevated spirits on that great and historic day.

“There has never been a bill that passed with G-d’s vote like this one. Only G-d’s finger could do this. That was the finger that voted. Everyone was ashamed to vote against. I had next to nothing to do with initiating any additional bill for all those years. It was as though I had been in Knesset for twenty years just for that bill”.

As for the initiative that is the basis for the Sovereignty Conference due to be held on Thursday in Hebron, Geula Cohen says that “any bill that pertains to E’retz Yisra’el, each and every day is the right time for it, especially basic core bills like the Jerusalem Bill and the Sovereignty over Judea and Samaria bill”.

“The fact that such a bill has not been made law is misleading. We mislead the Palestinians by making them believe that one day there will be a Palestinian state here. We wrong them, for there will never be a Palestinian state here”, states Cohen .

Geula Cohen adds on and estimates that an initiative to apply sovereignty needs to come from within the ranks of MKs and not necessarily from the Prime Minister. “Bibi won’t initiate it. Begin wasn’t the initiator either, but if awareness and public discourse rise, as Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar are trying to do, meaning that the matter will settle in our minds and thoughts as attainable, then the ‘Bibi’ will be found”, in her words.

“I am certain that the issue of a Palestinian state is slowly being taken off the table in light of recent events in the region. It has to do with the fact that the matter of applying sovereignty over Judea and Samaria will become increasing relevant and brought repeatedly to the table.

The Rabbis have a decisive role to play, seeing as the matter is related to Ha’la’kha and the Sources. If they join in and help facilitate this move it will help things a lot. After all, this is a part of G-d’s promise to Abraham. It isn’t just another settlement or community, but seeing the whole big picture”.

Geula Cohen’s speech will be presented by video at the Second Conference for the Application of Israeli Sovereignty over Judea and Samaria that is due to be held on Thursday, 22nd of Tamuz (12/7/12) in Hebron. During the event, orchestrated by Women in Green heads Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar, co-sponsored by “Just Peace for Israel”, the list of speakers will include the Minister of Science, Rabbi Prof. Daniel Hershkovitz, MK Uri Ariel, MK Tzipi Hotobeli, Gershon Masika, Yoram Etinger, Rabbi Uzi Sharbaf, Emanuel Shilo, Eran Bar Tal, Adv. Dafna Netanyahu, Adv. Howard Griff, Adv. Itzik Bam and Caroline Glick.

For details and registration: Yehudit Katsover 050-7161818 Nadia Matar 050-5500834
for the full program: http://www.womeningreen.org/2ndConvention.php

It is thanks to your help and support that we can maintain our activities.
Thank you for your continued partnership: http://www.womeningreen.org/help.php

Women for Israel’s Tomorrow (Women in Green) www.womeningreen.org

Just Peace for Israel -Making the Case for a Strong Israel http://www.justpeaceforisrael.com/

Source: Women in Green

For example, if one has a meeting with almost anyone, from your bank manager, to your accountant, you will more than likely be offered something to drink as soon as you enter the office. Business meetings, press conferences and Knesset meetings alike often take place alongside displays of sandwiches, soft drinks, and other vital bodily sustenance. God forbid you might just experience a tiny twinge of hunger…

Fast forward to certain offices abroad who do not have free beverages available 24/7 for their employees. The story of a young executive, who was sent by his company to an important business meeting in the USA, comes to mind. They flew him there and back specifically for this meeting. He was told what to wear, and it was drummed into him that under no circumstances could he arrive at the meeting late. He had to
get there on time, preferably with a few minutes to spare, with a suit and tie, and matching socks and shoes. He was told not to chew gum during the meeting, not to sms or answer his cell phone, not to take off his jacket before the others did and given lots of other relevant tips.

Our bright executive arrived at the meeting in time, suitably attired and ready to represent his company in a most befitting manner. However, in order to get to the meeting on time, he had skipped breakfast, and more importantly his morning fix of caffeine, presuming that coffee would be offered during the meeting.

In Israel, people often walk into a meeting with a coffee cup in their hand, or someone serves coffee to those present before the meeting gets underway, or a coffee corner is set up in the meeting room and everyone simply helps themselves. But this was not Israel. As the meeting progressed, our executive started feeling more and more edgy. When were they going to serve coffee? Should he excuse himself and perhaps go in search of the office coffee machine?

Should he offer to fetch coffee for everyone? Should he ask if they could have a coffee break? – but then after all it wasn’t his office and he wasn’t chairing the meeting, and perhaps this would be perceived wrongly, or heaven forbid interpreted as a sign of weakness…

Needless to say, our budding executive did not shine at this meeting; in fact he barely functioned at all. All he could think about was his caffeine fix! It was only after the scheduled midmorning coffee break, that our executive was able to regain his edge; but first impressions had already been made….

Cultures are different, as are business cultures. Being prepared beforehand can save face, money and valuable time.

Debrah Marcus

Finesse
Cross Cultural Communication
050-7700740
www.finesseglobal.com

Finesse aims to assist Israeli businesses to bridge the cultural gap when dealing with foreign companies, and to enable foreign companies to understand the Israeli culture, prior to doing business in Israel. Finesse combines culture and language to offer you a seamless transition between cultures.

Create Social and Economic Development by forming delegations of your local and state leaders, businessmen, and professors. Contact Jacob (jacob@embraceisrael.com) to discuss possibilities of joint ventures with Israeli businesses & universities involved with the latest bio med and hi tech advances.

During President Obama’s speech at the recent AIPAC policy conference, he said of Israel, “But as you examine my commitment, you don’t just have to count on my words. You can look at my deeds.”

Looking at the President’s deeds regarding Israel gives supporters of a strong U.S.-Israel alliance much to be concerned about.

This web ad highlights the fact that those concerns are not just Republican concerns, but have been expressed by top Democratic leaders as well. This ad shows what Democrats are saying, in their own words, about the President’s policies on Israel.

Create Social and Economic Development by forming delegations of your local and state leaders, businessmen, and professors. Contact Jacob (jacob@embraceisrael.com) to discuss possibilities of joint ventures with Israeli businesses & universities involved with the latest bio med and hi tech advances.

Create Social and Economic Development by forming delegations of your local and state leaders, businessmen, and professors. Contact Jacob (jacob@embraceisrael.com) to discuss possibilities of joint ventures with Israeli businesses & universities involved with the latest bio med and hi tech advances.

By Joseph Joel Sherman

Governor Romney added “Our two nations are separated by more than 5,000 miles. But for an American abroad, you can’t get much closer to the ideals and convictions of my own country than you do in Israel. We’re part of the great fellowship of democracies. We speak the same language of freedom and justice, and the right of every person to live in peace. We serve the same cause and provoke the same hatreds in the same enemies of civilization.”

Regarding security he noted “It is my firm conviction that the security of Israel is in the vital national security interest of the United States. And ours is an alliance based not only on shared interests but also on enduring shared values…. We must not delude ourselves into thinking that containment is an option. We must lead the effort to prevent Iran from building and possessing nuclear weapons capability. We should employ any and all measures to dissuade the Iranian regime from its nuclear course, and it is our fervent hope that diplomatic and economic measures will do so. In the final analysis, of course, no option should be excluded. We recognize Israel’s right to defend itself, and that it is right for America to stand with you.

The Governor concluded with “By history and by conviction, our two countries are bound together. No individual, no nation, no world organization, will pry us apart. And as long as we stay together and stand together, there is no threat we cannot overcome and very little that we cannot achieve. Thank you all. May God bless America, and may He bless and protect the Nation of Israel.”

Barry Rubin is the director of the Global Research in International Affairs Center at The Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel. Rubin notes “What was especially interesting was Romney’s list of five factors that brought together the United States and Israel: democracy, the rule of law, a belief in universal rights granted by our Creator (a reference to the Declaration of Independence and a subtle rebuke to Obama’s frequent omission of that divine attribution), free enterprise, and freedom of expression.”

Caroline Glick is the Deputy Managing Editor of The Jerusalem Post. Glick notes “Mitt Romney KNOWS the capital of Israel – And he didn’t even need to be asked in order to give us the answer. I especially love the part about the Palestinians… …that’s right, he never mentioned them. How refreshing, an American leader who doesn’t think that Israel is a synonym of “peace process.”

Embrace Israel thanks Governor Mitt Romney for supporting Israel.

Create Social and Economic Development by forming delegations of your local and state leaders, businessmen, and professors. Contact Jacob (jacob@embraceisrael.com) to discuss possibilities of joint ventures with Israeli businesses & universities involved with the latest bio med and hi tech advances.

Create Social and Economic Development by forming delegations of your local and state leaders, businessmen, and professors. Contact Jacob (jacob@embraceisrael.com) to discuss possibilities of joint ventures with Israeli businesses & universities involved with the latest bio med and hi tech advances.

The dream of two states for two peoples will not realized in the tiny parcel of land that lies between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean.

The vision of Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat, Yossi Beilin and the EU, Dennis Ross and Foggy Bottom, Ron Lauder and the “Jewish People Policy Planning Institute”,

is unacceptable to the leaders of the Muslim world, to the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Hezbollah, Fatah and to global Jihadists.

Events surrounding the 1915-1916 MacMahon-Hussein Correspondence, outbreaks of violence between 1920-1936, the 1937 Peel commission, the 1939 MacDonald White Paper, the 1947 UN partition plan, Menachem Begin’s autonomy plan, Oslo, Intifadas, roadmaps and various two state initiatives demonstrate the futility of expecting any Arab leader coming to terms with Jewish sovereignty over any part of a divided land. Total Arab rejection of a Jewish State has not changed over the past 100 years.

PM Netanyahu’s generous 2009 Bar Ilan “two-state” offer was stillborn the moment he required that one of the “two-peoples” recognize the right of the Jewish people to a Jewish State. As Abu Mazen proclaimed: “The Palestinian people (sic) will never accept the right of the Jewish people to their own State. Not for a 1000 years!”

It does not take too much insight to comprehend the consequences of Israel’s various withdrawals from1956 until today. Every time Israel blinked the Jihadist mission of cleansing the Middle East, first of Jews and then Christians was encouraged. The day after Israel withdrew from Gaza, missiles were launched in the expectation that continued violence would assure further withdrawals from “occupied territories” that include every bit of land west of the Jordan River. The new Gaza quickly witnessed the Hamas Jihadist takeover with Fatah “moderates” ejected from the roofs of six story buildings. Each Israeli concession or withdrawal bolstered Jihadists with the conviction that further violence would encourage the Jews in “Palestine” to flee to Europe and elsewhere.

A basic tenet of Islam is Jihad: the struggle for Islam’s global ascendancy by any possible means. As interpreted by authoritative teachings cited by Imam and scholar alike, that primary Jihadist obligation is legally and morally suspended only in times or in places where the chance of Jihadist success is minimal. Thus weakness or compromise by those defending themselves against Jihad is viewed as submission and a signal that Jihadist ventures can resume. It is understandable, therefore, that the history of “salami” concessions designed in good faith by leaders schooled in Western thought and culture to encourage and bring about a “two-states for two peoples” resolution only increases instability and conflict by signaling the Jihadists that the time is ripe to return to violence to destroy the Jewish State.

So why do so many well meaning people such as Tzipi Livni (former foreign minister and Prime Minister wannabe), Ehud Olmert from the witness stand, the editors of the NY Times, Haaretz, Manchester Guardian, Professors in Haifa and Ben Gurion not to mention Tel Aviv and Hebrew Universities continue to promote, preach, and struggle for a new Middle East with Arabs and Jews living, working, and prospering together? The Pollyannaish solution to the “Arab-Israeli” conflict is captivating. It is a function of the Western bias that all Peoples and their leaders want what our culture dictates to be desirable and that any conflict can be resolved by reason and good will.

They argue moreover that two states for two peoples is the only way to preserve Israel as a Jewish democratic state. This conclusion is based on faulty demographic arguments and faulty predictions of behavior patterns. It would lead to the opposite result: the creation of a Jihadist state in Israel’s backyard which will guarantee the disappearance of the Jewish state!

For the time being, let us leave Gaza to its own devices. It may remain a “free and independent” Islamic entity, it may revert back to Egyptian domination, or maybe a new Turkish flotilla will reassert Ottoman control. But it should not be the concern of Israel. Indeed, the Arabs of Israel and Yehuda and Shomron (widely known as the former West Bank of the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan) have little kinship and little interest in the Arab population of Gaza.

As to the intellectual proposition that a “two state solution” is necessary for Israel to continue as a “Jewish democratic state”, it is now well established since the groundbreaking 2005 demographic studies and projections of Zimmerman, Seid and Wise issued by the American Israel Demographic Research Group that the demographic facts and trends do not require the artificial exclusion of people and territory from Israel sovereignty. Until that study was digested by impartial academics, professors of Demography and Geography told the world and told Israelis and Israeli policy makers that there was an Arab majority between the River and the Sea and as a consequence, separation and creation of a Palestinian “State” was the only way to preserve Israel as a Jewish State.

But that mantra, the two-state “solution”, is based on faulty data, logic, and perception. It is also falsely based on security, demographic, political, economic, electoral, societal considerations on many levels.

Currently the Jewish population of green line Israel, Yehuda and Shomron is 67% Jewish.

The last 20 years of birth data combined with migration data have established that there is positive Jewish demographic momentum and if Israel does not pursue policies that encourage Jihadists that 67% majority is expected to grow.

Ask yourself and your friends and neighbors the difficult question: What percent minority population would allow Israel to maintain its character as a Jewish State? (By the way, there is nothing to be embarrassed about living in a Jewish State. The Organization of the Islamic Cooperation has 57 members, 56 of which are members of the United Nations.) The answers will vary from zero percent Arabs (the extreme left in Israel oddly enough now want no Arabs and a very high fence!!) all the way to “it does not matter” (we want “a state of all its citizens”).

Will Israel with a one-third non-Jewish minority lose its character as a Jewish State?
Will the two-thirds Jewish majority prosper in Israel? The conclusion that there is positive Jewish demographic momentum changes many of the previously held beliefs about the future of the Jewish State. Indeed, demographic considerations have impacted policy, strategy, and planning from the first Zionist Congress until today. The Mandate for Palestine which was approved unanimously on July 24, 1922 by the League of Nations and separately by the US Congress, formally legalized for all time the Jewish right to Palestine. The Mandate understood that a Jewish State could not be practically declared until there were more Jews in the Land. The Mandate formally called for the Jews of the world to support and encourage re-population ofPalestine. Jews were encouraged to immigrate and support financially, physically and spiritually the growth of a Jewish majority in the Land. Once that majority was achieved, a Jewish State could be declared and the trusteeship could end.

Distinguished historians, political scientists and sociologists preach that in all cases once a minority community reached 20% or possibly 30% and certainly 33% of the total population, the character of a state changes. The majority cultural group loses its integrity and a new creation is morphed into reality. Conversely, a less than 20% minority group quickly assimilates and becomes absorbed by the dominant 80% majority population.

Both of these propositions seem shaky as they relate to the internal dynamics of Israel.

Where and how was the “scientific” conclusion reached? By observing multiple societies around the world. Can these theories account for the history and integrity of the Jewish people through their almost 2,000 year Diaspora? No.

The survival of the Jewish people as distinct minorities in multiple societies suggests that Jewish society is a remarkable exception to conventional sociological thinking. Jewish minorities of 1-5% have prospered and grown in remarkably diverse environments, both economically, culturally, and demographically (sans pogroms and inquisitions) over a period of 2,500 years since the destruction of the First Temple. The Jews in Babylonia as well as in Lithuania, the Ukraine and Poland succeeded and violated all the accepted norms about assimilation and acculturation. Societies where the Jewish minority never even exceeded 5% exhibited extraordinary Jewish involvement in the highest levels of society and administrative infra-structure. We will not go into the causes and explanations, but there are many unique factors that contributed to their success. One need not explain the phenomenon to observe it as proven fact.

Now imagine a country that is 67% Jewish, with a strong Jewish participation in all segments from Arts and Science, Politics, Medicine, Law, Security and Foreign Policy, Business and Finance, High Tech and Agriculture etc. Will that society lose its Jewish character?

Per Israel’s Declaration as an independent democratic Jewish State, the rights of minority communities and individuals must be preserved. But those minorities must uphold the Law of the Land and cannot be permitted to act inimically to the welfare of the country.

The fears of a fifth column are legitimate but are clouded by the current political environment. Israeli Arabs have been told by Israeli politicians and media for 20 years that there will be a hostile Arab state created in Israel’s backyard. That is a guaranteed formula to foster an extremely hostile internal population. Once that proposition is laid to rest, the benefits of remaining or becoming part of Israel’s success will become paramount for the vast majority of the Arab population. Recent events surrounding the “Arab Spring” have made it clear to the fortunate Arabs living in Israel and Yehuda and Shomron that a blue Israel Identity card is a treasured asset. Very few Israeli Arabs have sought refuge under the PA or have fled to Gaza or Syria.

Of course, the tragedies of the past century led to a fear that should the Jewish population of Israel drop to 66% majority, terrible catastrophes would emerge. But the fears do not take into account the experience and logic of Jewish sovereignty.

I am working on a study that analyzes the risks and benefits of a Jewish state with a one-third (and diminishing) Arab minority. The concerns that people express with regard to a large minority community, are generally very visceral and not well conceived. Those fears and phobias arise from multiple issues including (in no particular order): security, social, prejudice, political, economic, global reactions, character of a Jewish state, character of a democratic state, religious, inter-marriage, conversion, impact on aliyah and yeridah,
government budgets, electoral, districting and representation, paths and criteria for citizenship, etc. Each of these “threats” must be analyzed, quantified and put into proper perspective using game theoretic disciplines.

How should Israel sovereignty over Yehuda and Shomron be implemented? Different annexation paths have been proposed. Phased in or partial annexation, districting, electoral reform and representation in the Knesset, various criteria for the changed legal status of the new residents of Israel, etc. Many possible paths were analyzed almost ten years ago and can be found atwww.onestateplan.com.

There is no quick, assured or ideal resolution to a conflict that has more than a 100 year history. Nonetheless, it has become increasingly clear that complete annexation of Yehuda and Shomron offers the best opportunity for security, peace and prosperity for all the residents of Israel.

Embrace Israel thanks Michael L. Wise for permission to publish this article.

Create Social and Economic Development by forming delegations of your local and state leaders, businessmen, and professors. Contact Jacob (jacob@embraceisrael.com) to discuss possibilities of joint ventures with Israeli businesses & universities involved with the latest bio med and hi tech advances.